What is in a Southwest Salad?

Southwest salads usually have lettuce, black beans, corn, onion, tomatoes, peppers, and tortilla strips. I like to add chicken to mine for extra protein. The salads are then topped with a dressing like Southwest Salad Dressing or Buttermilk Ranch dressing .

Can I make this salad ahead?

I made this salad earlier in the day and we ate it for dinner. It was super fresh still. The biggest thing to remember is to make sure you get the lettuce dry, along with the black beans and corn. Water will make it soggy and not keep as well.

How to Store the Salad?

Store the salad in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within 24 hours for the best flavor. I made a wrap the next day with this salad in a flour tortilla and was really good!

Southwest Chicken Salad - Simply Made Eats

Name: Southwest Chicken Salad
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Southwest
Ingredients: 2 raw chicken breasts package or 4 thinly sliced chicken cutlets package (approximately 1 lb package); juice from 1/2 a lime; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon store bought or homemade Southwest Seasoning Blend; 2 heads of Romaine heart lettuce, rinsed and dried completely; 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and dried; 3/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained and dried; 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced; 1/2 cup red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced; 1/2 cup roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced; 1 tablespoon jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, minced; 1 avocado, pit removed and diced; 1/2 cup salad tortilla strips

Description

This Southwest Chicken Salad is absolutely packed with flavor and heat! It's really similar to the Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad, but even better! It only takes less than an hour to make this spicy salad, with most of the time allowing the chicken to marinate.

Ingredients

Scale

2 raw chicken breasts package or 4 thinly sliced chicken cutlets package (approximately 1 lb package)
juice from 1/2 a lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon store bought or homemade Southwest Seasoning Blend
2 heads of Romaine heart lettuce, rinsed and dried completely
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and dried
3/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained and dried
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 tablespoon jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, minced
1 avocado, pit removed and diced
1/2 cup salad tortilla strips

Optional Dressings: 3/4 cup of Ranch, Southwest Salad Dressing, or Avocado Crema (with additional few tablespoons of water to thin it into dressing)

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Instructions

Slice each chicken breast into two thinner breast. This will leave you with four thinly sliced chicken breast. Add them into a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, salt and southwest seasoning. Toss to combine and spread the marinade onto all sides of the chicken breast. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
Prepare a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Pour in olive oil and allow it to heat up. Place the chicken breast in the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Flip the chicken breast and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Slice the chicken into strips or cubes for the salad.
Chop the lettuce into bite size pieces and add into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 cup of salad dressing of your choice.
To the top of the salad, add black beans, corn, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, jalapeño, and chicken breast. Drizzle on remaining 1/4 cup of salad dressing and top with tortilla strips. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

skillet

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wusthof knife

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Notes

Try to have the thickness of each chicken breast be similar for even cooking.
Make sure to dry the lettuce well, and drain and dry the black beans and corn to eliminate extra water in the salad.
I like to leave the salad really pretty with all the toppings separated on top, then toss the salad at the table right before serving.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Category: salad
Method: no bake
Cuisine: Southwest